Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Jamie’s sunflower seed painting

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So, by now you hopefully know that Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest’s chimpanzee boss-lady Jamie is entered in this very unique chimpanzee-only art contest sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States.

You can and should vote for her piece every day until the contest ends on August 22nd at 5:00 ET. The sanctuary that cares for the winning chimpanzee will receive a $10,000 grant from HSUS!

If you aren’t on our e-news list (which you can remedy by signing up here), or if you missed the email sent out yesterday, below is the video we shared of Jamie during the session where she created her mixed media masterpiece that is in the contest.

There are many things that I like about this video and Jamie’s approach. In particular, I like the way she carefully applies the paint to the sunflower seed shell with her finger and the way she wipes off her hands when she’s done. These are classic Jamie things to do.

I hope you appreciate the effort she put into her art and give her your vote! The voting website even allows you to be reminded to vote each day by texting CHIMPART TO 30644 (message and data rates may apply).

In other good news, MSN shared this video on their page today!

Fire and Art

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One year ago today, the sanctuary property was engulfed in flames and smoke. We thought at one point that the caregiver house that J.B. and I live in was gone (it turned out the roof and siding had caught fire, but the interior was saved). J.B. stayed with the chimps as the flames spread, and the rest of the staff watched helplessly from the road or waited anxiously for updates.

fire on hil above chimp house from highway

black earth under tire structure young's hill

It’s not a day any of us would like to repeat, but we knew the chimpanzees were safe thanks to our own protocols and the actions of the local volunteer firefighters. We can never thank Kittitas County Fire Districts (KCFD) #1 and #7  enough for what they did for us and what they do for neighbors and strangers everyday. Read the account from the Seattle Met, or, in our own words, through our blog posts.

We’ve made even more improvements to our protocols and our equipment based on our experience last year. We are still working on our future emergency preparedness while also raising money for our general operating costs, and we have a great and fun way for you to help us get a nice grant!

The Humane Society of the United States is sponsoring a chimpanzee art contest, and our resident boot-loving artist boss of the sanctuary, Jamie, has a piece entered! Voting for Jamie’s mixed-media piece will not only give her the accolades she knows she deserves, but will also give the sanctuary a chance to win $10,000! You can vote for Jamie’s piece once per day from now until the end of the contest, which is 5:00pm ET on August 22nd.

Jamie_seed_art2

Please vote today and every day and share with everyone you know via email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc!

Levi and Brandon Wood’s video

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Today, Jody’s son Levi turns 27. He has been a research subject his entire life. The note in Jody’s file for this day twenty-seven years ago simply says, “Delivered healthy infant male #88 – removed & taken to nursery.” If she got a glimpse of Levi that day, it was probably the last time Jody saw her son.

Six weeks later, an adult male chimpanzee was transferred into Jody’s cage in the hopes of “breeding” her again.

Levi was among the unlucky group of chimpanzees who have already been moved from the Alamogordo Primate Facility to the Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Learn more about the transfer of the Alamogordo chimps on Animal Protection of New Mexico’s FAQ page and learn how to help here: RetireTheChimps.org.

Also, for Jody and Levi, please support the Great Ape Protection Act, which would permanently retire all chimpanzees currently supported by the federal government and would ban the use of great apes in invasive biomedical research. Visit the HSUS TAKE ACTION link to contact your reps.

For inspiration, watch 10-year-old Brandon Wood’s video below. Brandon is one of the most active chimpanzee advocates out there. The dedication of someone so young is remarkable. You can follow Brandon through his blog, his Facebook page or on Twitter. Visit his sites and thank him for working so hard for chimpanzees.

Update on Alamogordo chimpanzees

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Please see our July 16th post, Chimpanzees to be moved for research, for the background information on this story.

Fifteen chimpanzees have already been moved from the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) to the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in Texas, but we cannot give up. The chimpanzees need us to speak out for them.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has issued a press release asking the NIH to permanently retire all of the APF chimpanzees, return the 15 chimpanzees that have already been sent to Texas and convert the Facility into a sanctuary.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has made it easy for everyone to contact the NIH about this urgent issue. Please see the HSUS action alert, take action and share with your friends today.

You can keep updated on the campaign to retire the APF chimpanzees by following Animal Protection of New Mexico on their website and their Facebook page.

chimpanzees still in labs

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The King 5 coverage last night mentioned the chimpanzees who are still in laboratories. Chimpanzees whose lives, like the Cle Elum Seven, could also remarkably improve if H.R. 1326, the Great Ape Protection Act (GAPA), is passed.

Sometimes it seems the barriers to this actually happening are insurmountable – the opposition to the bill by some in the biomedical research community; the funds that would be needed to create space and quality care for the chimpanzees in sanctuaries; and the inherent politics of getting a bill passed that have nothing to do with those 600 chimpanzee lives (and the other 500 who are privately owned and would no longer be tested on).

But then I think about other countries that have passed similar legislation, the bipartisan support that the bill has within the house, and the tremendous determination of those working on the legislation.

And I think about those 1100 chimpanzees. Many of them have very similar experiences as the Cle Elum Seven. Like Negra, Annie and Jody, many were taken from their native home of Africa as infants and may have never experienced what it feels like to be comfortable and safe. Some, like Foxie and Missy, were likely born into captivity for the purpose of being biomedical test subjects and, like Foxie, may never be able to learn natural chimpanzee behaviors like nest-building. Others, like Jamie and Burrito, were former “pets” or “entertainers,” possibly raised as substitute human children, abused by their trainers, then sold into biomedical research.

Those mostly unknown 1100 chimpanzees deserve sanctuary life as much as the seven chimpanzees in our care.  Their intelligence and individual personalities should be shared and appreciated. Whatever happens, they will always live in captivity, but they should have a second chance for a better life.

Look at Negra in the photos below – the first taken before her new life began, during her dark years of living in a basement with little mental stimulation, the second taken just days ago as she peacefully napped outside. And re-watch this video of Negra playing with Missy: https://chimpsnw.org/2009/11/negra-5/

Then check out the links below the photos about GAPA to learn how you can help create a better life for all of the Negras still in laboratories.

Negra sleeping with blanket

Learn more about the Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326) and how you can help from these groups:

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Humane Society of the United States

Project R&R

Watch Nightline Tonight!

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Please be sure to tune in to Nightline tonight for a very important story about how chimpanzees are treated in laboratories. I just previewed some of the footage and it’s heartbreaking. Knowing Jamie, Burrito, Foxie, Negra, Annie, Missy and Jody were in similar facilities… There are no words!